Pulsation mufflers for compressors

Abstract

The invention is related to a pulsation muffler (100) for a gaseous medium flow (107), which is supplied by a compressor. The pulsation muffler (100) comprises a housing (101) extending along a central axis with a medium flow inlet (106) and a medium flow outlet; several tubular absorber elements (108) concentrically arranged in the housing (10) and fluidically arranged one behind the other. Each tubular absorber element (108) is provided with an inlet area and an outlet area, positioned at an axial distance from each other. Between the respective radially adjacent wall sections of different absorber elements (108), a flow compartment (112, 114) is maintained for the medium flow (107).

Claims

1. A pulsation muffler for a gaseous medium flow supplied by a compressor, the pulsation muffler comprising: a housing extending along a central axis with a medium flow inlet and a medium flow outlet, the medium flow outlet axially aligned with the medium flow inlet and having a cross sectional area that is larger than a cross sectional area of the medium flow inlet; a plurality of tubular absorber elements, each made of sound-absorbing material, arranged concentrically in the housing, the plurality of tubular absorber elements including a fluidic front absorber element, a fluidic rear absorber element, and a fluidic intermediate absorber element disposed between the fluidic front absorber element and the fluidic rear absorber element, wherein each of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element includes an inlet area and an outlet area positioned at an axial distance from the inlet area, wherein the inlet area of the fluidic front absorber element is connected to the medium flow inlet, the outlet area of the fluidic front absorber element is connected to the inlet area of the fluidic intermediate absorber element, and the outlet area of the fluidic rear absorber element is connected to the medium flow outlet; and a plurality of flow compartments defined between respective tubular absorber elements of the plurality of tubular absorber elements to permit flow of gaseous medium between radially adjacent wall sections of respective tubular absorber elements of the plurality of tubular absorber elements.

2. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein at least one of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, or the fluidic intermediate absorber element has a rotation-symmetrical design.

3. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein each of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element has a rotation-symmetrical design.

4. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element are interlocked and are axially fixed with respect to the housing.

5. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element have an annular arrangement with axial overlapping of at least 80% of a longitudinal extension of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element.

6. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein the fluidic front absorber element is arranged radially inwards in the housing and the fluidic rear absorber element is arranged radially outwards in the housing.

7. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein an axial length ratio with regards to a maximum cross-sectional extension of each absorber element of the plurality of absorber elements is less than 2.5.

8. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein an overall axial length ratio of the pulsation muffler with regards to a length of a path traveled by the gaseous medium from the medium flow inlet to the medium flow outlet is less than one.

9. The pulsation muffler of claim 1, wherein at least one of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, or the fluidic intermediate absorber element includes a plurality of resonator chambers.

10. The pulsation muffler of claim 9, wherein each of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, or the fluidic intermediate absorber element includes a plurality of resonator chambers.

11. The pulsation muffler of claim 9, wherein at least one resonator chamber of the plurality of resonator chambers is axially arranged with regards to at least one other resonator chamber of the plurality of resonator chambers.

12. A compressor for compressing gaseous media, comprising a compressor and the pulsation muffler of claim 1 coupled to an outlet of the compressor.

13. A pulsation muffler for a gaseous medium flow supplied by a compressor, the pulsation muffler comprising: a housing extending along a central axis with a medium flow inlet and a medium flow outlet; a plurality of tubular absorber elements, each made of sound-absorbing material, arranged concentrically in the housing, the plurality of tubular absorber elements including a fluidic front absorber element, a fluidic rear absorber element, and a fluidic intermediate absorber element disposed between the fluidic front absorber element and the fluidic rear absorber element, wherein at least one of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, or the fluidic intermediate absorber element includes a plurality of resonator chambers, and wherein each of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element includes an inlet area and an outlet area positioned at an axial distance from the inlet area, wherein the inlet area of the fluidic front absorber element is connected to the medium flow inlet, the outlet area of the fluidic front absorber element is connected to the inlet area of the fluidic intermediate absorber element, and the outlet area of the fluidic rear absorber element is connected to the medium flow outlet; and a plurality of flow compartments defined between respective tubular absorber elements of the plurality of tubular absorber elements to permit flow of gaseous medium between radially adjacent wall sections of respective tubular absorber elements of the plurality of tubular absorber elements.

14. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein the plurality of resonator chambers is radially disposed with respect to the plurality of flow compartments.

15. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein at least one resonator chamber of the plurality of resonator chambers is axially arranged with regards to at least one other resonator chamber of the plurality of resonator chambers.

16. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein each of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element has a rotation-symmetrical design.

17. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element are interlocked and are axially fixed with respect to the housing.

18. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element have an annular arrangement with axial overlapping of at least 80% of a longitudinal extension of the fluidic front absorber element, the fluidic rear absorber element, and the fluidic intermediate absorber element.

19. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein the fluidic front absorber element is arranged radially inwards in the housing and the fluidic rear absorber element is arranged radially outwards in the housing.

20. The pulsation muffler of claim 13, wherein an axial length ratio with regards to a maximum cross-sectional extension of each absorber element of the plurality of absorber elements is less than 2.5.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Further advantages and singularities are provided by the following description of a preferred embodiment as illustrated in the drawing. Below are shown:

(2) FIG. 1 illustrates a longitudinal section of an inventive pulsation muffler with three tubular absorber elements;

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a cross-section of the pulsation muffler according to FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(4) Before any embodiments of the disclosure are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The disclosure is capable of supporting other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways.

(5) FIG. 1 shows a simplified longitudinal section view of an inventive muffler 100, while FIG. 2 shows the cross-section thereof. In this example, muffler 100 primarily consists in a cylindrical housing 101 with an integrated absorber element area 102, one front plate 103 closing the housing at the end face and a flange 104 positioned axially opposite the front plate. Front plate 103 shows a centrally arranged medium flow inlet 106, via which a gaseous medium flow 107 compressed by a compressor is passed, specifically pressurized air, is fed.

(6) In the integrated absorber element area 102, several tubular absorber elements 108 are arranged, illustrated in the example by a fluidic front absorber element 108a, a fluidic center absorber element 108b and a fluidic rear absorber element 108c. The three absorber elements are inserted into each other telescope-like and are primarily of the same length in axial direction. All absorber elements are made of sound-absorbing material, allowing the differentiated selection of the specific material properties between the single absorber elements.

(7) The medium inlet flow 106 culminates in the centrally positioned inlet area of the front absorber element 108a, allowing the medium flow to pass next in the interior of the front absorber element 108a, where it is attenuated by said material. The internal compartment of the front absorber element 108a can be hollow or filled with gas-permeable material, whereby the flow resistance is to be maintained low. The end of the front absorber element 108a averted from front plate 103 is provided with an outlet area, allowing the medium flow to flow out from the front absorber element 108a. There, the medium flow passes in a first annular change area 110 into the inlet area of the center absorber element 108b, whereby the direction is reverted in the medium flow 107. The center absorber element 108b encompasses the fluidic front absorber element 108a in annular form, a centering pin 111 provided at the center absorber element 108b serving as a support for the front absorber element 108a. The medium flow 107 now passes through a first cylindrical flow compartment 112, extending axially between the front absorber element 108a and the center absorber element 108b.

(8) At the end of the center absorber element 108b directed towards front plate 103, the medium flow leaves the first cylindrical flow compartment 112 via an outlet area and flows into a second annular change area 113 into the inlet area of the rear absorber element 108c. The medium flow 107 now passes through a second cylindrical flow compartment 114, which extends axially between the center absorber element 108b and the rear absorber element 108c. The flow direction in the second flow compartment 114 is axially opposed to the flow direction in the first flow compartment 112.

(9) At the end of the rear absorber element 108c averted from front plate 103, the medium flow 107 leaves the integrated absorber element area 102 via an outlet area of the fluidic rear absorber element 108c and flows then through a medium flow outlet 116 in flange 104 to the downstream compressor units. The Figures show a clear increase of the cross-section available for the medium flow in the respective change areas, which is finally substantially larger at the medium flow outlet 116 than at the medium flow inlet 106.

(10) The figures also show that the walls of all three absorber elements 108 are provided each with several resonator chambers 117a, 117b or 117c.

REFERENCE SIGN LIST

(11) 100 Pulsation muffler 101 Housing 102 Integrated absorber element area 103 Front plate 104 Flange 105— 106 Medium flow inlet 107 Medium flow 108 Absorber elements 109— 110 First change area 111 Centering pin 112 First flow compartment 113 Second change area 114 Second flow compartment 115— 116 Medium flow outlet 117 Resonator chamber

(12) Various features and advantages of the disclosure are set forth in the following claims.